I got about halfway through my list of “New Stuff I Need To Check Out,” and was rapidly crossing stuff off, when I finally got around to the new Field Music disc. I liked the last album quite a bit, particularly the single, “You Can Decide,” but this new disc, Tones Of Town, strikes me as a very ALBUM-y album, that is, it’s particularly strong as one large, cohesive work, rather than as a collection of songs. It’s got this great sort of 80’s LP vibe, and though I can definitely hear the XTC comparisons that everyone’s throwing out there, I prefer to say that Field Music is like a more Yacht Rock-y version of the Futureheads.

::: Field Music – A House Is Not A Home :::

A big Catbird Records thanks to WFMU for all the Blue Birds Blood love! And a note to stragglers: we’re almost completely sold out of Blue Birds Blood bonus-disc editions. Act fast. (Oh, and by the way, CBR 009 *and* (new catalog designation) CSP 001 are already in production, and targeting for next month. Cool, huh?)

Oh, and another, different kind of thanks to Chris Newmyer of the Self Starter Foundation, for bringing Frightened Rabbit over here to the States for those shows. I only finally got out to see them last night, and they did not disappoint. A great, great show, and a totally large crowd out to see ‘em, to boot! If you live in NY and you missed them, then you missed your chance, but Chicago: get out there tonight. Empty Bottle, 9:30pm.

On a completely unrelated note: you know how, in those TV movies about illiteracy, there’s always a scene where the main character looks at the page of a book, and all the letters go all scrambled and backward and completely meaningless? That’s what happens to me when all these Music Festival Lineups start coming out.

Whew, I’m glad we’re finally getting past that long dry spell; looks like beginning next week, we’ll finally start seeing a steady stream of regular new music releases worth checking out, including the new one from “That Band That People Hate On Now Ever Since They Were Featured In That Movie,” and also “That Band That Bloggers Love To Hate On Now,” plus also “That Other Band That Bloggers Love To Hate On Now.”

And on that note, btw, (and much as I love The Tyranny Of Distance) Ted Leo was, for me, getting dangerously close to oversaturated/blogdrenched status when last I checked, but I suppose enough time has passed, because I just listened to his new track and instead of my first thought being, “ugh, more Ted Leo,” it was “hey, this’d probably sound pretty great live!”

::: Ted Leo – Sons of Cain :::

Because I get the emails, I know there are a few people out there who are looking for out-of-print CBR releases. Well, someone pointed out to me that if you go over to ebay right now, you can pick up the Pet Politics In My Head EP and/or the Get Him Eat Him Do As I Tell You EP. I’d be willing to wager that you should be able to get both for the opening $0.99 bid, as it’s hard to imagine a bidding war starting over these things.

Oh, I’ve also got a “warehouse” (more like “where in the house?”) find of about 10 copies of the Hemstad disc, just drop me a line if you need one.

The Dino Jr. Nikes are something that my brain can hardly process.

Oh, and also: Dude. DUDE. What is the fucking state of the fucking universe when you see a fucking AARP commercial that is soundtracked by the fucking BUZZCOCKS? Dude.

Congrats to Absolutely Kosher and Misra, who just got married. I was glad to hear, though, that the happy couple have decided to keep their own names, so don’t go looking for any Misralutely Kosher releases any time soon.

Actually, the most exciting bit of news I read in that Abs Kosh/Misra press release was the note about a new Okay album on the horizon! Woo-hoo!

I noticed that Merge just put up a digital-only release retrospecting David Kilgour (in anticipation of his new disc, The Far Now, out 1/23). This track’s from 1994’s Sugar Mouth, though I probably could’ve guessed 1994, give or take a year, since that’s exactly where my mind went back to when I pushed play on this song. Good times, good times.

::: David Kilgour – Nail In My Foot :::

And I suppose that same 90’s nostalgia is partly what keeps swinging me back over to the Listening page of softie-sweet UK band Fanfarlo’s site. Reminds me a lot of the sort of thing one’d hear after midnight, watching 120 Minutes in the early 90s.

And hey, while yer in an Anglo mood, swing by and check out some of the fine releases from my new pal Stephen’s label, Tough Love Records.

A few more (NY) dates have been added for Frightened Rabbit’s brief upcoming U.S. tour:

1/15 – Brooklyn – Micheline’s
1/17 – Brooklyn – Northsix
1/19 – NYC – Cake Shop

Apparently, this whole thing has been put together by the Self-Starter Foundation, and god bless ‘em for that. They’ve also graciously provided mp3s:

Crikey! Not only did Frightened Rabbit finally get a nice Pitchfork review, they’ve finally booked some U.S. dates, too!

1/20 – NYC – Sin-e
1/21 – Philadelphia – Johnny Brenda’s
1/22 – NYC – Mercury Lounge
1/23 – Chicago – Empty Bottle

I had three favorite records in 2006, and Frightened Rabbit’s Sing The Greys was one of them. Just saying.

Unrelated: currently sitting on my desktop, waiting to be listened to:

The Papercuts – “Dear Employee” (at Paper Thin Walls)

The Arcade Fire – “Black Mirror”

Beirut – “Elephant Gun”

Woods – “Be Still” (at Popsheep)

Happy New Year! Or Crappy New Year, or if you prefer.

You know, 2006 was a pretty shite year for good new music. I mean, sure, there were plenty of middling-to-awful releases (or as bloggers would say, “amazing”-to-”mind-blowing”), but the good stuff seemed to have called in sick for ‘06, for the most part.

Now, I’m not a pessimist or anything, but I just have this sneaking *feeling* that’s *sort of* bothering me…. and that feeling that 2007 is gonna end up, pretty much, just “More Of The Same ™.”

Rest assured, though: I’ma do whatever I can to help. Starting right now. Step 1:

CBR 008: The Ghosts – Blue Birds Blood is now available!

It’s 12 tracks of punk’d up, folk’d out, lo-fi love songs, courtesy of London, England’s Mathew Sawyer- an internationally respected visual artist, vintage ukelele aficionado, and one-time drummer for the Television Personalities. It’s $7.50, and the first 200 copies include a limited-edition hand-screened 3-song bonus disc.

::: The Ghosts – Penny Falls :::